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MLB WINTER MEETINGS

December 5, 2007

John Russell

Q. John, how long does it take to get comfortable knowing the organization, what you need to do as a manager?
JOHN RUSSELL: Well, obviously I think I've got a little bit of a head start because I was a coach for three years. Looking at the existing roster, there's still you know, 13 to 15 guys that I've known fairly well.
So, there's a few of them I got to know when I was in the Minor League when they were in Indianapolis. I saw McCutchen. I've had some contacts. That makes it easier.

Q. But, I mean, I realize you've had the coaching experience as a manager. Do you have to look at it differently the whole organization differently?
JOHN RUSSELL: Yes. There's obviously a broader picture. There's more -- one of the things I've noticed, even the Minor League there's obviously more I wouldn't say responsibility, but there's more areas that you have to look into and make sure that you're on top of when you hire the coaching staff, trying to get Spring Training started as far as our planning process, our mini camps, coming down here to the meetings.
There's a lot of little things that add up to a pretty broad picture of what your responsibilities become.

Q. Frank and Neil have talked so much about changing the culture, the catchphrase for this off-season. How do you as the manager feel about changing the culture? How do you assess what the culture is like and know what to change?
JOHN RUSSELL: I can't speak -- I said this before. I can't speak what happened here in the last couple of years, but the success that I've had and the dealings I've had with players, teams, is, you know, the culture.
Basically you play the game the right way. Might sound easy, very boring statement, but that's how you get the players. Get them to understand what is right, what the game is supposed to be, and there's always deserve and command and respect. Baseball doesn't care. You don't do it right, it doesn't care. It's going to move on.
If you work hard and you do the right things, it can be very rewarding.
How we do that is to get the passion and the accountability back into the clubhouse for me, I'm going to be very accountable for what I do. The coaching staff and the accountability has to fall on the players as well.
It's not cracking a whip. It's not doing things like that. It's trying to get to understand why we do it. I know Major League players. I was one. My biggest thing was "Okay, why?"
One of the things if you tell them what they're doing and the way it's supposed to look like, what it's supposed to be, you got good teachers, good coaches, they believe. Once they believe that's the right way, you're supposed to do it, then it's easier to follow rather than the first day you come in "Okay, we're going to do this." It's not always the best way to go about it.

Q. Could be easier to do with a team like this that's mostly young guys -- right? -- weren't set necessarily in their ways?
JOHN RUSSELL: Can be. You can get older guys. Older guys are dying for good things. I've been around when I played, Mike Schmidt and Dale Murphy and Nolan Ryan, always looking to get better, always looking to achieve good things.
Whether it's a young player or older player, the common goal is the same. We want to win and we want to play well, and so the separation there might be experience difference, but as far as your common goal, they have the same common goal.

Q. What's your relationship so far with Neil Huntington, and talk a little bit about the two of you coming into kind of rocky pockets for both of you?
JOHN RUSSELL: It's been great. It started with the interview. You listen to him. I had never met Neil. Just some of the things I heard when he got the job. But, you know, listen to him, the questions he asks, my responses and him leading the other directions in the interview, I knew that he had a good vision of what he wanted.
The interview he told me what he was looking for, what he wanted and how he wanted to perceive it. I just answered that. It was really funny how we really clicked, and it hasn't stopped there. We've gotten along very well. He's very easy to talk to. He's very open. The passion that he has, the determination to do things right.
It's been a great relationship so far, from Bob and Frank on down. It's been a really great experience to this point. All of them are very passionate about what we're trying to do.

Q. Do you think it's fitting with the two of you and the passion you have to have, you guys be in the position with the young players to work with them?
JOHN RUSSELL: Could be. I think the biggest thing they were looking for the right people. I don't know if they were looking for good matches. I think they wanted to hire the right people, and that's one of the things we've carried throughout the organization. We weren't going to hire the popular names as coaches. We wanted the best coaches out there that we felt we identified that were going to help the Pittsburgh Pirates achieve what we're trying to accomplish.
That's what we looked for. That's what I think Neil and Frank and everybody since day one, the start of this process, is hire the right people.

Q. You had some time now to assess the players on your roster, coached a lot of them. What do you see as the biggest needs short-term for this team?
JOHN RUSSELL: Well, I mean number one, like any team you have, we have All Star players, whether you have good players, whatever you're looking for you're looking to improve on. I think the biggest thing that the Pirates need to improve on fundamental, daily work habits, need to improve on preparation and accountability for doing those things.
So what's a small piece here or there, if you don't have them all, you're going to be mediocre at best anyway. We're going to make sure we do all the things right and that starts -- we've already started it. We got off to mini camp and Spring Training. To pick out one thing, it's tough. I'm a broad picture manager. I want it all to look good.
Yeah, you want defense. You would like to have great pitching and timely hitting, like to have power and speed. But the biggest thing is we have to be a solid ball club as well prepared and works really hard to make sure we get everything out of our players.

Q. Have you talked with any of the guys on the phone?
JOHN RUSSELL: I talked to a few. I wanted to wait until we got the coaching staff fully before I started talking to them so I could give them an idea of who they'll be working with. I'll be in touch with them in the next week.
I have spoken the a few of them. I think there's a genuine sense of excitement, genuine sense of looking forward to getting going with a fresh start.

Q. You talked about -- a lot of people talk about being a young team. Jack and Freddy are 30 now. Jason is close to 30. Do you think maybe this team, even though it lost 94 games, has enough things where maybe you're going to go outside, considering you do have some guys with experience now?
JOHN RUSSELL: That's one of the things we've been talking about. We do have some guys that have done some good things. Had some guys that made some All Star teams. Some guys that have valuable experience. Some players that came up that have done very good jobs. We've got a good young pitching staff. We've got a close that's kind of established himself as a guy that can close games.
So the pieces are there. The difference is to be able to carry that out for 162 games. One of the things I learned a long time from Mike Schmidt is you're going to win a third of your game, lose a third. It's what you do in the other that make or break your season. Those are some of the things we really need to concentrate on, fundamentals and things like that.
It doesn't mean, like I said before, the fundamentals only apply to a young player. The veteran guys are the guys that have been around for awhile. They play the game right, good things happen. We need to focus on it.

Q. You're still in the process of obviously learning who fits where and who does what, that kind of thing. What is it like for you this week? I mean, your roster can change in a hurry here. What's this week like for you? Do you try to follow it and think how things might fit for you, or you try to not listen to the rumors and the reports and the speculation?
JOHN RUSSELL: I learned a long time ago in baseball you can't listen to rumors.

Q. Can't listen to what?
JOHN RUSSELL: Rumors. As a player, as a manager or coach. Rumors are rumors. You can read something. Since I've managed and been hired as this manager, I read things in the paper all the time. That's comical. You can't really pay attention. Obviously you want to be prepared, listen, have an eye to see what's going on in the industry, to see what's going on in our organization as far as what our guys are talking about, what needs we might have.
Yeah, you pay attention, but to start trying to crystal ball it, you know, that's extremely difficult and I can't do it.
I'm not thinking too many people can. Until something takes place, we deal with it then. But right now, you know, in my mind we're getting ready to start meetings next week with our Major League staff, to start getting ready for Spring Training with the roster we have.

Q. What do you think of this division? Have you even been able to look around with the other teams or get a grip on your own?
JOHN RUSSELL: Sure. It's a wide open division. You've got some changes that have been occurring the last few years in our division, and, you know, I think obviously the team that -- I think it's been proven the team that plays the best baseball is going to win. And I don't think there's one just clear-cut favorite depending on how the season shakes out. But I think the team -- it's almost a lost division, the team that plays the best baseball usually wins.
Of course, having extremely talented players doesn't hurt. But in the long run, the teams that play good baseball, you saw last year throughout the playoff run and this and that -- the teams that played solid did the right things, won.
Then you face a guy like Beckett or somebody, obviously, that's -- you do your job. All in all, guys really play good baseball are successful in our division. I think that's going to be the key. The team that plays the best and avoids injuries, stays healthy throughout the year, has a good chance to make a run at it.

Q. You're getting a head start on the coaches meeting and the mini camp. How important would it be to get out of the gate well? It seems like the last -- more than a few years now, it seems like the slow starts and before you know it, the middle or end of May and you're 9, 10 games out and all of a sudden, things are not looking good. It's looking like a long season. How important would it be to try to set a good tone early?
JOHN RUSSELL: Somebody asked me that the other day. If I start worrying about 20, 30, 40 games into the season, I'm in trouble. I don't have that luxury to be able to say, "Well, we need to get off to a good start." I mean, everybody in baseball says that.
Last two years I was with the Phillies being at Spring Training, it didn't happen. They still made the playoffs and missed the playoffs by one game the year before. I can't worry about that. We start the season, we're going to be on line. We'll go from there. Good starts are great, but if I start putting the emphasis on my staff and on our players, say we got to get out of the gate strong, we don't need that. We need to get prepared for Spring Training and prepare in Spring Training and prepare for first game.

Q. Does it seem like Opening Day is a long time away?
JOHN RUSSELL: Seems like Spring Training is going to start this week, a lot of the things we've got going, hiring the staff. I live in Texas. I've been to Pittsburgh like five times in the last three and a half weeks. I'm in the process of moving. Every time I look around, it seems like another week goes by. In my opinion, it feels really fast because you're trying to get so much done. But as far as the anticipation, I'm very much looking forward to this.

Q. There are differing views in baseball about development in the Major League level and teaching or instruction at the Major League level. What's yours?
JOHN RUSSELL: I hate to use the word development. I think it's continuing the process, continuing the teaching.
You know, I've said this a long time, and I said it when I played, and I heard it from good players and good coaches when I did play. The day you think you know it all, you better quit because you're not going to do anything else.
I experienced it as a player, like I said. I experienced when I was a Major League coach with Kendall. This guy was dying to continue to improve, to change some of the things that he felt he was doing wrong.
So, you know, it's a never-ending process. So to say we're going to develop, we're going to continue the process, whether it's at this stage of his career or this stage of his career. I think that's important that again we go back to the question, older guys/young guys. These guys need just as much as these guys. Might be a different level, but they need it. We've got to make sure they get it.
To me it's a continuous process until the day that they leave us or the day they retire.

Q. With the young starters that you've got, what, if anything, your philosophy -- probably don't have a blanket one, but as far as leaving them in there, letting them build up innings or being careful with them?
JOHN RUSSELL: You build up innings I think is a -- I don't think to me what I'm looking for. You use Spring Training to build them up and get them ready for their first start they should be able to go 100 pitches.
Most pitchers will give you and let you know where they are. You'll have an idea once a certain time -- certain pitch count, this guy usually around this, you better start watching him.
You can use that as a factor. But just visual. The things that you look for out of your pitcher, I can see the change. He might struggle to get out of the inning. I start looking at what we have in the bullpen, how this guy is actually reacting. Is it time to maybe leave him a little longer?
Lot of it depends on what you're getting at night and, you know, what you have to back him up on. I'm not a big believer in killing starters. Those are the guys, it's a long year for them. You got 32 starts, hoping to get around that 200-plus inning range. You start burning them early, it's going to be tough to get that late.
There's some maneuvering to make sure that -- wouldn't call it protection, but, you know, maneuvering to make sure they stay pretty strong.

Q. What about righty/lefty late in games when you get to -- do you go about it religiously?
JOHN RUSSELL: No. No. I mean, obviously they'll be certain match-ups that you see. I remember Rafael Palmeiro when I played in Texas, Fossum or something, lefty threw for Boston. Couldn't hit him. He was O for about 28. I got a guy like that, sure, it's a big situation. Sure. I can get away with something doing like that.
The bullpen you hate to match up so often because you get yourself in binds too often. If it's a big out in the point of a game where it gets me to right to my setup guy to my closer, sure, I'll bring a guy in for one, two hitters.
But my philosophy is that in order to have successful bullpen, you've all got to pitch. And using a guy one inning here, one inning there, eventually he's not going to be that good. I need to get him work as well. Match-ups, yes. When I feel prudent that it's needed, absolutely, trying to say I'm going to match up here. It's got to be a reason behind it. I've got to think about what's going to happen tomorrow or maybe the next day.
If I do this tonight, I may have no bullpen tomorrow. That's one of the things, I always make sure I try to prepare to keep us going. Not that we're not going to try to win at all costs, but if I do this, I may be in big trouble for three games. It may not be the most prudent thing to do.

Q. Numbers weigh into that? We saw teams throw lefties at LaRoche, even though LaRoche was killing lefty. It didn't matter.
JOHN RUSSELL: Like you said, it's the match-up thing. That's why I'm not a huge believer. I've had righthanders that get lefthanders out better than they get righthanders out. It's what you see, and it's the confidence you have in your bullpen I'd.
Like to think that I have a left-handed pitcher down that can get righthanders out as well as lefthanders. That makes us have a little bit more valuable bullpen. I've got a guy that -- use him once. I don't think we're in that position as the Pirates have that much luxury to carry a guy that's a specialist. We need guys that can pitch.
Again, I'm not huge believer in the straight match-up, no.

Q. Right or wrong, for a number of reasons, Ronny Paulino became the poster boy for some of the problems that this club had last year, defensive problems, offense perceived as lack of hustle. Do you take him as a special project? What do you say to him when you guys report?
JOHN RUSSELL: As we mentioned this earlier, I got to see kind of where Ronny is coming from. I'd like to get his bullpen coach. He's going to be working with our catchers involved and get a plan.
So it's going to be a lot of, you know, finding out where he is. But, you know, one of the things is, like I said before, getting the explanation to where he's going to start being accountable for some of these things.
People say -- I had one guy, "You should take him in the back, really jump him." That's not always what it's about. This guy needs to know what it is to play the game right and how important it is behind the plate. To me, obviously being a catcher, being a catching guy, that position is huge to me. It's not going to be a slack deal. I can't -- number one, I know how important it is. Number two, the team can't afford for that stuff to happen.
So it won't be tolerated, but it will be handled in a way to try to get the best possible results out of Ryan we can get because he's a good player.
It's going to be a definite plan, and Lewis and myself are definitely going to have to stay right on top of him. He's a big guy, too, probably fight back if you try to jump him.
I didn't mean to physically, verbally jump him. That might be a challenge. He's a big dude. I'll probably take somebody with me.

Q. How much have you been in contact with the waiver claims, movement in the roster been so far? Do you like what's been done? What do you see it adding, I guess, the five guys?
JOHN RUSSELL: Depth. You know, you have to have depth. When you pick up an extra infielder, pitcher, you have to have depth. Guys like you feel like it's not just Minor League depth. It's not like -- there's a lots of conversation and work done on these guys that they can be a help.
Spring Training coming in and, you know, fight for a position. If they don't get it or whatever, if they do, then we have depth in that area.
So, I think that's the biggest thing. Want to make sure that we go through the season, you're going to need extra players, and I think what I've seen over baseball, you're going to need probably 10, 11 starters. Original 5 at some point they're not going to make all the starts.
Heaven forbid for an occasional rain-out, double-header, something here or there, you're going to have to have other starting pitchers. You need depth. Guy goes down for a few weeks, you need depth in the infield and outfield. That's one of the things Neil is looking at. His plan is just to strengthen the total package.

Q. Have you been around Chris Gomez? If that deal was to be finalized, what would he bring? Guy 15 years experience has to bring something to the clubhouse.
JOHN RUSSELL: Sure. Yeah. It's -- again, it's given us good players if the deal does go through. I don't know how -- that's kind of -- Neil has talked the me about Chris. We've talked to him. I don't know that it's a done deal. Obviously, guys you look for. Again, we're looking for people that we can add to our system. They're going to make the Pittsburgh Pirates go.

Q. You were in Pittsburgh for a long time. Being third base coach, you hear the fans probably better than most guys even in the dugout. What's your sense for what Pittsburgh wants the see out of this team?
JOHN RUSSELL: They're such a sports-oriented city. You can tell they have a lot of pride. They love good sports. I think they're looking for good baseball. And, you know, I think they're looking for us to show them that we have a chance to win it. For me to sit here and guarantee we're going to win, I don't think -- I don't think they're looking for the guarantees. I think they're looking for good, solid baseball and the guys who play good solid when they're out on the field.
So, that's -- to me, that's what you have to do. I love these guys who play hard. We have a chance to win. They're doing things right. Is that the only thing we're after? No. I want to win as bad as anybody, but they want something they can hang their hat on as well as I do.

Q. I apologize if you already covered this. Few hours left here in Nashville. Could you characterize your chances ever getting something done before you get out of here?
JOHN RUSSELL: It's speculation. Again, earlier I said I don't really get involved. I listen, and when something happens, they ask me a question, I give it to them. But it's been funny. You haven't really heard -- I know it's a big deal yesterday, but we'll see where it goes. I haven't been in all the meetings. I can't comment where they're headed. I had to do this and lunch ones and speaking engagements here and there. I know what's going on. I'm not going to say anything, but I'm not in a position to comment about some of the things that they're trying to get accomplished.
I know like anybody, we want good players. And if we can find a way to do that, I think we're just like any other team, we're going to try.

Q. The fans might be frustrated because you don't get something significant done here. But is there an eye toward potential. Because it's not done here doesn't mean you can't get something done whether it's July or anytime.
JOHN RUSSELL: Obviously. Just because -- lot of times -- I think the Winter Meetings go in cycles. Sometimes you see a lot of movement. Sometimes you don't. In two, three weeks it starts moving again. The biggest thing is just we're patient. We know what we like to do. We know what could possibly help our club. We're in no hurry to do anything.
We'll continue to just see what's available, identify what our needs are, and I think -- like I said before, I think it's like everybody else said, we want to get some good young players that we have control over. I think a lot of teams are saying the same things.

Q. If Neil would tap you on the shoulder and say, "John, I have a left-handed starter, done nothing but get people out," you would say something I want. Two years ago when you had that guy in Zach Duke, how important would it be if you could get Zach Duke back to where he was?
JOHN RUSSELL: It is would be great, obviously. Zach has gone through some things that I think will in the long run make Zach a better pitcher, make him more aware of what's going on. I have full confidence that being with Jeff again, Jeff was kind of the one that raised these guys a little bit in the Minor League.
I think it's just confidence. Once he gets that going again, Zach Duke is going to be a big part of our pitching staff.

Q. There is another intriging ballplayer you already have. Any thought to just saying to Nate, obviously you have to earn positions. He has little pop, has speed which this team is in dire need of. Plays good defense. Just giving him 400, 500 at bats, see what -- pretty intriging what he may be able to become?
JOHN RUSSELL: Nate is a good player. I knew that when I was in the Fall League a few years ago. I like Nate. He's kind of a manager's type guy. He works hard. He plays hard. He's never going to say that "I can't do that." That's what you love. Nate had a great latter part of season for us last year, and I look for Nate to be a big part of what we're going to try to accomplish.

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